6 year old obsessed with war

[joshandjamie]

my 6 year old ds is slightly obsessed with war, particularly WW1 and WW2, although anything with tanks and guns will suffice. He has plenty of army toys and he actively chooses the history channel over cartoon network. To date I've been fine with it because he just seems curious about it and I'd rather he learns a bit of history rather than what spongebob squarepants is up to.

But today in a book shop, while his brother was choosing a horrid Henry book, my ds chose a pictoral history of WW2. while most of the pics were fine, there were one or two that showed dead bodies (not graphic). My husband felt he shouldn't get it because he felt it was too gory and that he was concerned about ds starting to 'glorify' war. Ds was gutted. Should we be discouraging this interest in war at this age?

Note: He is not aggressive but he is a normal little boy who likes playing soldiers so no real impact on his behaviour yet.

He's probably just really interested in History. My DS2 was also obsessed with war when he was younger and would talk to my dad (who fought in WW2) about it all the time. I suggest that you get war books out of the library and then they can go back and you can say that someone else wants the book.

He still loves swords and guns and has learnt fencing at a good Uni where he is studying for his history degree. He's not interested in domestic history at all e.g. how Victorians lived their lives, servants etc but liked to know about wars, different country's border changes and so on. You might be able to bend some of the interest into geography (e.g. wars were fought over different bits of land).

There are lots of fiction books set in war times (maybe when he's a bit older) for him to read.

My sons' biggest trantrum ever was when we wouldn't buy him a £300 Japaneese sword that he saw in the window of an antique shop. He was 3!

I think learning about wars is absolutely fine, if he tries to re-enact them you may begin to worry.

A book with pictures of dead bodies does not glorify war. There was a TV documentary series run when I was about 9 or so called 'World At War' - currently being re-run on the Yesterday digi channel. Narrated in very serious tones by Sir Lawrence Olivier it was made up of actual footage from the time, I distinctly remember being horrified but fascinated by the pictures of burnt out tanks, bodies and the liberation of the concentration camps. As long as your DS isn't getting a one-sided or glamourised view of war, and as long as it's not keeping him up having nightmares then I wouldn't worrry. Military Historian isn't a bad career :)

Ds1 and 2 were both interested in military history at that age. DS2 had his army clothes and marched everywhere! He is studying law now! Although a career in military hasn't been ruled out! DS1 at year 9 was told he should drop history by subject teacher,also the HM, as he was poor in it, then got the year highest mark in end of year exams. When HM asked him about it he said "teach me history I'm interested in and I will try, I'm not interested in 'How the Victorians lived'" When asked what he was interested in he said Civil war, Napoleonic wars etc. Neither glorified in war but were fascinated by the tactics etc.

He got the highest mark to prove a point!

I think a few grainy black and white pictures of bodies would be OK.

He sounds keen on history. My nephew is the same. We bought him quite a complex adult book on WWI with photos etc. He loved it and regurgitated whole sections back to us.

I would feed his love of it to get him reading - something boys his age don't always take to very well.

Cogito - agree the World at War series is superb.

My 6 year old ds is obsessed with WWII in particular! A trip to bletchley park in the holidays really inspired him. I recently went to an usbourne book party and there was a book on WWII which was great as it's age appropriate. Have a look on their website. I agree the dead bodies might be a bit much at this age but I also think it's entirely up to you, your ds may be mature enough to see them. We have been taping a series for ds on channel 4 each saturday night. It's been great for him and really given him a sense of how people suffered rather than all guns and tanks and killing in terms of glorifying it. The first one was about d-day and it was gory but ds loved it! He has also taken remembrance day very seriously which I think is lovely.

Thanks all. He has the Inside WW2 Usborne Book which he loves and we have recorded all sorts of series for him. I caught him watching 'The Sands of Iwo Jima' with John Wayne recently. I thought that would be way over his head and classified as boring with the love story line but he was engrossed. I agree, I want to fuel his love of history but DH seems to feel we should try to broaden his interests away from war

If something really grabs a kid's imagination you can 'broaden their interests' until you're blue in the face but they'll still be fascinated in it. War is actually quite a big subject covering politics, history, economics, literature, culture, geography... and then you've got the domestic aspects, the military ones, the social implications. Really all-encompassing once you dig down a little. Is DH a pacifist? :)

Cognito - DH is ex military so I think he's just wary about his son getting too into all things military (then again his own father fought in WW2 and discouraged my DH from going to the army and he just went ahead and did it!)